“Where’s Kevin?” Gary asked. “I need him to compliment me continuously since I have my horn back. My self-esteem might not survive without it.”
I shook my head. “He was with Randall. Said something about a job he had for Kevin. I don’t know what.”
“Was it a blow job?”
“No, Gary. I don’t think Randall was asking Kevin for a blow job.”
“Oh. Right. Because that would be weird.”
“Because nothing about any of this is weird,” Justin muttered.
“You’re different.”
We all turned slowly toward the owner of the voice.
Moishe was watching me, head cocked, silvery blond hair hanging in wisps around his face.
“Pardon?”
“You,” he said. “You’re not who you once were.”
His penetrating gaze made me uncomfortable. It felt like my skin was crawling. “I don’t know that any of us are. Things have changed.”
“Yes. This is true. But perhaps more for you than others. Tell me, wizard, where have you been?”
Wizard. “Learning,” I said slowly.
Mama glanced interestedly between the two of us.
“Learning,” Moishe repeated. “And what is it you have learned?”
“Many things.”
“In such a short amount of time, it would seem.”
“Do you have a point?”
H
e smiled. It was chilling. “Just making conversation. We haven’t… seen you, Sam. Since Morgan’s funeral. And now, here you stand. Different. It’s curious. Your magic. It’s… capacious. When did you pass the Trials?”
Fucking elves. They knew far too much for their own good. “Things have changed,” I said again.
“So you’ve said. I worry.”
“About?”
“Moishe,” Mama said, sounding irritated, “I suggest if you have something to say, you say it.”
“Yes, Moishe,” Randall said, entering the barn. “I would certainly be interested to hear what you have to say as well.”
Moishe bowed toward Randall. Regardless of what Moishe thought of humans in general, he always seemed to have a deep respect for the wizard. “Randall. You see it. I know you do.”
Randall sighed. “He has his cornerstone. He has the dragons. He has control.”
Moishe didn’t look very impressed. “No one, not an elf, not a man, not even a dragon, should have that much magic shoved into them as quickly as he has. Even with a… cornerstone.” He said this last with a curl of disdain, glancing at Ryan, who bristled at my side.
“What’s he talking about?” he asked me.